Key Points
Misleading Claims
- Following the release of James Cameron’s Titanic film, interest in the ship surged, leading to numerous books and TV programs.
- A Channel 4 series, “The Liners,” and its accompanying book claimed that the original plans for Titanic included enough lifeboats for all passengers and crew, which were later reduced by White Star Line.
Examination of the “Andrews Notebook”
- The book claimed that Thomas Andrews’ notebook showed the original lifeboat plans with a thick red line indicating a reduction in lifeboats.
- The notebook is more accurately described as an Olympic notebook, detailing lifeboats fitted in 1911 and additional lifeboats added in 1913 after the Titanic disaster.
Actual Lifeboat Capacity
- The original “Design ‘D’” concept included fewer lifeboats than the final configuration.
- The number of lifeboats and their capacity was increased between the initial design and the completion of Olympic and Titanic.
- Titanic’s lifeboat capacity, as a proportion of the total number of passengers and crew, increased by about 39%.
Conclusion
- The article debunks the claim that Titanic’s lifeboat numbers were reduced from the original design.
- It emphasizes the importance of verifying information from primary sources and critically analyzing secondary sources.
Find it on markchirnside.co.uk
Encyclopedia Titanica is not responsible for the content of external sites, and the availability of links may change.
About Research References on Encyclopedia Titanica
This item is not available to read on Encyclopedia Titanica, but we have included it as a reference, provided a brief summary of the key points, and linked to the original source to help readers interested in the finer details of the Titanic story.